5 Things I’m Worried about Starting Medical School
By: Holly Egan
It is easy to think that once you are into medical school, after all the years of hard work and jumping through hurdles, that that is the end of it. That it will be smooth sailing from there on out. But I can assure you, as someone who has a place and is less than 2 weeks from starting my medical journey, this is not at all the case.
While I am full of excitement, I am also overcome with constant nervousness and feelings of worry and panic at the thought of starting. Yes, it is my time to shine and this is what I have always wanted, but because this is what I have worked so hard for it is easy to start to ponder on the worries you have surrounding the next big milestone in your life. So here’s what I’m worried about starting medical school!
1. Am I prepared enough?
The biggest question that I have at the moment. There is no answer and nothing anyone can say to make me worry less that I will start medical school being already behind to my peers. Should I have started reading up on my first module? Do I need to know the name of every bone in the body before my first day? I don’t know how to give an IV injection – is that bad? I have my stethoscope, yes. But I don’t know what I’m listening out for! I don’t want to get there and suddenly realize that there was a summer reading list I never discovered. I know there’s not. I’ve been through the website 100’s of times. But what if? It’s a never-ending cycle of self-doubt. Something that will only disappear once I know I’m not the only one who has no clue what we are doing to start with.
(#LifeofaMedStudent note: If you want study tips, here’s my advice for how to study in medical school!)
2. A New Social Circle.
Making friends no matter your age, location or circumstance is always petrifying. You’d be lying if you said it wasn’t. But doing this as a mature student, among peers straight from A-levels frightens the life out of me. What if I feel too old? What if they think I am too old? What if I am not in with all the new lingo? What if we have nothing in common outside of medicine? Then there is also the fact that I am living at home and commuting in every day on the train. What if I don’t make friends? What if I miss out on the social side of my new life? Will I be invited to do things with people? Will they think I am strange for living at home? It’s a midfield of what-ifs that are cluttering my mind space at the moment, and I know for a fact this won’t change until I make my first steps into the medical school and realize that we are all in the same boat. Nobody knows anyone, we are all clueless to our surrounding, everyone is thinking the same and we will all be absolutely fine.
3. The Academics!!
Then there is the academic side of things! As medical students, we have all come from backgrounds where we are the best of the best. We have shined throughout our whole academic life and always worked to come out with top grades. Medical school is a different field all together. Because we are all high achievers, there is the worry that you will have imposter syndrome. Do I belong here? Am I good enough? What if I cannot keep up with the work? It’s normal and something that I know most medical students feel at one point in their university life. We have to learn to become accustomed to not always being the best in the class and to take this as a blessing in disguise as a means to work with our peers to bring out the best in each other by healthy competition as well as using the skills and knowledge of those around us to our advantage.
4. Having a Life outside of Medicine.
Another factor which I am trying to work out currently is ensuring I have enough time to spend away from medicine. Yes, being a medical student is a full time role and it can never be turned off, but as the song goes there will be sometime when ‘no, I don’t want no scrub(s)’ and I will want to chill out with my family and talk about the silly things in life. I worry that the time for this will be so minimal that I will forget to enjoy the small things. It is something that no matter my position in life, I will always aim to do. But that doesn’t mean it will be easy. Being able to take yourself away from work/job/school for just a small fraction of time a day is key to ensuring you don’t go crazy, so while it might be hard I will ensure I make the time I need for myself.
5. Keeping up with the avalanche of new information.
The field of medicine is never-ending. The minute one area of medical research develops it is out of date and the next big thing is on its way. It’s important as a medical student and a doctor to keep up with the ever-changing field of medicine, but it is a worry that I fall behind in this area. Already knowing the field of medicine I want to end up in, and understanding how competitive that field is means that to ensure I reach my goals I have to be the best of the best, on top of all extra reading and stand out from every medical student in my year across the country. Easy right?! It’s a worry that will niggle away during all the times I have a break for myself – I could be reading BMA right now; I could just google the latest medical advancement. I could… It’s something that I am going to have to get used to. I cannot do everything! I have to take each day in my stride and just keep up to date as best I can to stay on plan.
Starting something new is hard. Starting something in which we will eventually have lives in our hands is petrifying. BUT, having said all this my adventure through medical school is going to be one of the best and most enjoyable times of my life and that is what I have to remember. Everyone has the same worries! It is learning to cope with the worries and not let them take over that is going to be the difference between success and failure in this field, and I know exactly how I want my future to pan out!!!
Holly Egan is a new medical student at the University of Manchester starting in 2019. Outside of medicine, Holly is a normal girl with big ambitions, and strives to constantly be the best version of herself! She enjoys spending time with family, hanging out with friends, and making the most of every opportunity. If not exploring or studying, Holly writes blogs at her site https://dreamsofamedic.com showcasing life as a student! She also can be followed on Instagram and Twitter at @dreamsofamedic. Give her a follow!
Holly also wrote the excellent post:
My Path To Medicine – Why it’s important not to give up!
Give it a read as well!
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